{"id":156663,"date":"2026-04-03T21:29:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T21:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/156663\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T21:29:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T21:29:07","slug":"action-wheels-keeps-bethlehem-riding-the-brown-and-white-action-wheels-keeps-bethlehem-riding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/156663\/","title":{"rendered":"Action Wheels keeps Bethlehem riding – The Brown and White Action Wheels keeps Bethlehem riding"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a 17-degree day in Bethlehem, about 60 cyclists \u2014 bundled in layers and gripping frozen handlebars \u2014 showed up for a 3-mile ride in memory of Alex Pretti<\/a>, a member of the cycling community who was killed in an encounter involving United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 24.<\/p>\n

Part memorial and part protest, the ride brought together cyclists from across the Lehigh Valley to speak out against ICE and ride side by side despite the cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Scott Effting, owner of Action Wheels Bike Shop at 520 W. Broad St., organized the ride as part of Angry Catfish\u2019s global group memorial ride for Pretti. He said he didn\u2019t expect a strong turnout because of the below-freezing weather, but the event became a favorite memory.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said moments like these are becoming defining for Action Wheels Bike Shop.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The shop, which first opened in 1980, has grown alongside the city. It sells bicycles and accessories and offers repairs and tuneups.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a kid who always came here,\u201d Effting said. \u201cThey asked if I could help out for a pair of grips or two in the summer. I started managing the store a month later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before taking over ownership in 2017, Effting worked under the shop\u2019s original owner, Larry D\u2019Amelio, for four years. He said D\u2019Amelio ran the shop for more than 30 years before he died.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c(The workers) really love the shop, so I think (D\u2019Amelio) would be very stoked to see where it\u2019s going,\u201d Effting said.<\/p>\n

Effting said he remembers BMX jams where more than 100 people showed up to ride and have fun. He also said he remembers smaller moments, like landing a new trick and celebrating with friends.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Effting, that sense of community runs through all his memories of riding.<\/p>\n

\u201c(At Action Wheels), it\u2019s a very unique experience where every time you come in, it\u2019s us,\u201d he said. \u201cIt feels very personable. That\u2019s what I really like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inside the shop, that energy carries through the entire team.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Jakob Wellner \u2014 a Bethlehem native who has worked at the shop for two years \u2014 the job didn\u2019t come through a formal application. He said it came from showing up and spending time with the staff.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now handling customer sales, he said the people are what keep him excited to come into work each day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a dream job,\u201d Wellner said. \u201cI bring my personality in here. There\u2019s no facade and I feel like people like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"In the back of Action Wheels Bike Shop, the employees repair bikes. (Ellie Sileo\/B&W Staff)<\/p>\n

In the back of the shop, Scott Holjes has been keeping the wheels turning \u2014 both mechanically and socially \u2014 for six years. For him, fixing bikes is more than physical repair work.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fun to have people involved and to meet other like-minded individuals and have a good time,\u201d he said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t feel like work. I think that\u2019s why I\u2019m still here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Holjes acknowledged the help he\u2019s received from others, and expressed thankfulness for their kindness. He said he enjoys helping people get to work by fixing their bikes.<\/p>\n

Customer appreciation, he said, shows up in small ways, like people bringing in fruit and snacks, which brightens his day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s definitely made (work) way more fun over the last couple of years is focusing more on what we can do for others,\u201d Effting said. \u201cTrying to be a pillar of our community and helping others has made it way more fun, interesting and refreshing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Action Wheels sells more than bikes. They sell cycling accessories, t-shirts, coffee, and more. (Ellie Sileo\/B&W Staff)<\/p>\n

Still, running a small business hasn\u2019t gotten easier. Effting said it\u2019s become more difficult over time due to tariffs affecting imported bikes, forcing the shop to be more creative and step outside its comfort zone each year to make up for lost revenue.<\/p>\n

To adapt, Effting said the shop has expanded its offerings, selling more merchandise and bringing in products beyond bikes.<\/p>\n

This includes coffee from Blind Tiger, a local coffee roaster and caterer.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like every other small business, we have to get a little crafty these days to keep doing it,\u201d Effting said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Action Wheels also works closely with other local businesses, including Homebase Skateshop at 29 W. Fourth St., building a network of support across the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a bunch of businesses that support each other,\u201d Wellner said. \u201cIt\u2019s sharing the spotlight and bringing more awareness to other shops.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, the city around them is changing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Effting said more people are advocating for bike lanes, pedestrian safety and better infrastructure. He said Bethlehem is slowly becoming more welcoming to cyclists.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the Coalition for Appropriate Transportation<\/a> getting a bigger location, Bethlehem is becoming a very bike and walking-centric city,\u201d Effting said. \u201cIt\u2019s very cool to see that change over time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wellner has also seen changes in the city but believes it still needs improvement, and said he would like to see more pedestrian and cycling infrastructure because the area remains too focused on cars and should move in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n

He said 15 years ago, there were at least five cycling races in the Lehigh Valley that no longer exist.<\/p>\n

For a sport that once thrived in the region, Wellner said Action Wheels is trying to bring that energy back.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c(Cycling is) a dying sport in a way,\u201d Wellner said. \u201cWe want to bring more light to it and get it back into the (Lehigh) Valley because it was really popular around here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team is planning to host another Pennsylvania Cyclocross Series this year, which is a fast-paced, closed-course event where riders complete laps.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year\u2019s main goal is to keep the dream alive, get a good turnout for our events and to have a good, safe year with all of our group rides,\u201d Effting said.<\/p>\n

Through group rides, campouts and after-work events, community remains central to everything Action Wheels does. Some events bring in dozens of regulars, while others \u2014 including the anti-ICE memorial ride \u2014 draw a wide range of participants.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In many ways, Effting said the shop\u2019s purpose has stayed the same: to be a place where people can hang out, make friends and have a good time. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On a 17-degree day in Bethlehem, about 60 cyclists \u2014 bundled in layers and gripping frozen handlebars \u2014…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":156664,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[7192,119,121,120,153,524,1197,2155],"class_list":{"0":"post-156663","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-allentown","8":"tag-5-min-read","9":"tag-allentown","10":"tag-allentown-headlines","11":"tag-allentown-news","12":"tag-bethlehem","13":"tag-community","14":"tag-feature","15":"tag-transportation"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156663\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}